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Baby gets new liver after just 40 minutes on registry

A rare liver disease has made the Wisconsin infant's 5 months of life a battle

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Updated: 4:59 PM CST Dec 23, 2016

Baby gets new liver after just 40 minutes on registry

A rare liver disease has made the Wisconsin infant's 5 months of life a battle

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Updated: 4:59 PM CST Dec 23, 2016

Waukesha, Wis. —

A Waukesha baby is recovering at a Chicago hospital following a liver transplant after one of the shortest stays on the organ registry that anyone can remember.

The McCabe family, from Waukesha, was complete with the birth of Daniel in July. His three siblings adored him, but a rare liver disease called biliary atresia has made his five months of life a battle.

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Daniel's condition had declined to the point that he was placed on the organ registry Dec. 13 at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital. His mom said just 40 minutes after he was officially on the registry, his doctor came back to the hospital room, to say he was being prepped for surgery.

"I was shocked. I just said, 'What? What do you mean we have a liver?' He goes yeah, we have a liver," said Melody McCabe.

The next day, Daniel was getting his new liver in a surgery lasting more than six hours.

The staff at Lurie Children's Hospital said the average wait for a liver is three months for children, and that a 40-minute wait is unheard of.

Melody McCabe

"This is one of the more incredible things that's happened in the five years that I've been here. Patients even in the most critical statuses can go waiting from a few days to a few months and even a few years," said organ procurement coordinator Justin Boese.

Melody McCabe said the surgery went well. Daniel will be hospitalized about a month as he recovers, but she said the prognosis is good.

"We have a very strong prayer network, and I can only chalk it up to some kind of divine intervention," said Daniel's father, Joseph McCabe. "This is a Christmas obviously we'll never forget."

Dr. Riccardo Superina, Lurie Children's Hospital pediatric liver specialist, said, "While this happened very quickly and very fortunately, there are people who die every day because there's not an organ available."

Melody McCabe said her heart goes out to the family of the man who died, allowing Daniel to live. All she knows is the liver came from a Midwestern man in his 30s. Daniel used 20 percent of the liver. Doctors used the rest to save the live of another person, who is an adult.

Melody McCabe said on Friday that she's hoping Daniel can be a testament to organ donation and how important it is. She expects to be able to bring him home to Waukesha some time in February.